John Cleese and Eric Idle coming to the Van Wezel on Oct. 2

John Cleese and Eric Idle, two of the most influential names in modern comedy, are going to impart their wisdom, wit and trademark brand of silliness to Sarasota audiences at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall at 7:30 p.m. on October 2. Tickets will start at $59.50 and go on sale at vanwezel.org and the Van Wezel box office at 10 a.m. this Friday, June 19. 

The two award-winning comedians are visiting Sarasota as a part of their aptly and economically titled tour "John Cleese & Eric Idle: Together Again At Last...For The Very First Time." Touring the southern part of the United States from Oct. 2 through 30 including Ft. Meyers, West Palm Beach, Miami, Clearwater, Orlando, Savannah, Charlotte and Baltimore, the two have openly admitted that this is a deliberate tour to avoid the dreary autumn weather that plagues England. 

Being one-third of the groundbreaking and subversive British comedy troupe Monty Python would have been enough to secure Cleese and Idle's respective comedic legacies. But, individually, the two knights of the roundtable of comedy have accomplished numerous funny feats since starting Monty Python with fellow members Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones and Michael Palin with the BBC program "Flying Circus" in 1969. 

Cleese has been a familiar face in front of and behind the silver screen for the past 40 years. Besides starring in the Monty Python's "Holy Grail," "Life of Brian," and "The Meaning of Life" films, he is an Oscar and Golden Globe-nominated actor and writer for the 1988 comedy hit "A Fish Called Wanda" starring Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline and Michael Palin. Recently he has appeared in or provided his vocal talents in such popular films and franchises as "Rat Race," "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," Die Another Day," "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" and "Shrek 2." On the television screen he as provided his comedic talents to such shows as "Fawlty Towers," "3rd Rock from the Sun," "Will & Grace" and the warm voice of the narrator in the "Mini Adventures of Winnie the Pooh." He just released his memoir "So, Anyway..." in November. 

While Cleese has been stalking the screens of the world, Idle has been dominating the writing world with books, television and musicals under his belt. Idle's books and play credits include "Hello Sailor," "Pass the Butler," "The Greedy Bastard Diary" and "The Road to Mars." Idle's largest impact outside of the Monty Python troupe is in the arena of Broadway musical theater with the musical comedy "Spamalot." Based on the story featured in the hit film "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," the musical ran on Broadway from 2005 to 2009 for over 1, 500 performances. Originally directed by Mike Nichols and with an opening night cast that included David Hyde Pierce, Tim Curry, Hank Azaria and Christian Borle, the show was nominated for 14 Tony Awards and won three including best musical. The show has been performed at colleges and theaters all across America and has been on tour in London, Australia, Barcelona, Madrid, Poland, Mexico, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and revived again in London's West End in 2012.